Category Archives: What I Love

2-11-15

Check out what iStock (a leading stock photography site) has discovered about the trends + fresh Valentine’s Day visuals. To see more photography trends, check out their site.

Hearts. Flowers. Chocolates. Happy, young couples holding hands and splashing through puddles of rain together. You know the drill. The lead-up to February 14th trots out the same visual clichés to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Although the media is saturated with traditional iconography surrounding the holiday, people’s attitudes towards Valentine’s Day are changing and there is a growing shift in the status quo of imagery used to represent love.

From a creative perspective, art often imitates life. And in life, love takes many forms. Love isn’t relegated solely to the pink and red hues associated with Valentine’s Day. There are many more shades in the color palette of love. From the unconditional love a parent has for their child, the platonic feelings a person has for their best friend, to decades of romance shared between an older couple, there are a number of ways love can be visualized.

While classic Valentine’s imagery is no less iconic, consider departing from tradition this Valentine’s Day and tap into visuals that express a more modern, more inclusive sentiment. Here are a few Valentine’s Day image ideas to serve as inspiration.

A Refreshing Take on Love In Bloom[Image]A young couple surrounded by wildflowers and truly enjoying each other’s company trumps store bought blooms and sitting across from one another at a table. Opt for a fresh take on romance that focuses on joyful, relaxed expressions of affection instead of imagery that feels staged.

Love Ages Well[Image]
Young lovers eventually grow old. Although the body ages, a true and eternal bond lasts. Images that show an older couple still deeply in love are equally as sweet and poignant as those depicting younger couples – and offer a refreshing, unexpected look at love.

Embracing Same Sex Couples[Image]In the U.S. alone, the Census Bureau estimates 168,000 same sex married couples and 646,464 same-sex households. That number does not even account the number of LGBT individuals on the dating scene in the United States, let alone the world. Despite these numbers, there is a sore lack of Valentine’s images depicting same sex couples. Photographs of loving partners of the same sex show that love knows no gender lines.

Romance, Schmoemance: A Focus on Friendship — including Four-Legged Friends

Who says that Valentine’s Day is just for lovers? Many people are now including friends in the celebration of love. While Singles Awareness Day on February 15th (aka – Half-Priced Candy Day) hints at an air of cynicism towards Valentine’s Day by those without a partner, many singles choose to celebrate the day by pampering themselves or by letting their friends know how much they mean to them.

While friends of the two-legged variety are becoming an important part of the new Valentine’s Day landscape, let’s not forget about our four-legged friends, either. In 2013, of the $18.6 billion Americans spent on Valentine’s Day, $815 million was spent on pets. From adorable kitty sweaters in sweet shades of pink and crimson, to heart-shaped boxes of doggie treats, pets are now part of the new Valentine’s Day equation.

Photos depicting an unbreakable bond between gal pals or a rock steady bromance showcase that Valentine’s Day has meaning for best friends, too.

Love takes many forms, but is best expressed honestly, openly, and (when it comes to creative imagery) as realistically as possible.

Join the conversation about how to #RePictureLove on social media!

This post was written as part of a partnership with iStock and From Rain to Shine. Use code VDAY10 + get 10% off any credit pack available now until Feb 20, 2015. Check out their site for tons of stock image options!

10-23-14

Even though it is still 75+ degrees in Los Angeles, fall cocktails always sound good. Today I have three cocktails inspired by fall, and an awesome, no mess way to decorate your pumpkins! A huge thank you to ONEHope Wines + Beth for her help and the recipes! Enjoy!

Directions:1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy
2. Rim chilled martini glasses with graham cracker crumbs
3. Pour mixture into glasses and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon

Check out these PUMPKINS! All I did to decorate was use Jewel Tattoos metallic tattoos and placed on the pumpkins. So easy, so cute and a fun addition to any party table or decor!

8-20-14

As we near the end of August [and summer], I decided to gather some friends for a summer send off reminicent of one of my favorite childhood memories: S’MORES. I’m sure many of you also grew up going to the beach and making these delicious summer sandwiches, but for this party, I wanted to do it sans-sand, and throw a twist on the traditional method. Enter, S’mores Galore S’mores Bar.

THE INVITATIONSI wanted to set the mood for this party as being bright, happy and full of color. Tiny Prints has SO MANY different stationery options that made customizing this party a total breeze. I selected this geometric printed invitation that became the theme for the rest of the party. Not only was it simple to design and customize for my party, Tiny Prints is so easy + wonderful to work with.THE SET-UPSince I chose to set up s’mores in a yard rather than the beach, we stayed cleaner, and ate s’mores without the added crunch of sand. I wanted my guests to be comfortable, relaxed and in close range to the food. I set up a short table, colorful blankets and pillows in a semi-circle. I don’t have a fire pit, so I used a mini-BBQ to roast the marshmallows. It worked perfectly, and fit right in to where we were sitting. It is an awesome option to bring your s’mores to your backyard if you don’t have a built in fire pit in your yard, or don’t feel like building a camp fire. Instant “glamping.”These pillows were awesome to have. Tiny Prints just started selling customizable pillows that not only make excellent seat padding, they are also oh so cute! Even better, the outside cover comes off and is easily washable. I was concerned that chocolate/grass/dirt could ruin the pillow, but the removable cover makes cleaning a non-issue. They now offer a wide range of colors, designs and customization options to fit any party, decor or gifting need.

THE BARFor this party, the traditional honey graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars were not going to be enough. I decided to take that idea, and add tons of customization options (because who doesn’t love a full range of chocolate or toppings?). I had milk, dark and white chocolate, chocolate + peanut butter, chocolate + caramel, chocolate + mint, just to name a few. Want to elevate your s’mores game? Use cookies. Thank me later, you’re never going to eat s’mores the same way again.Here is a full list of all the s’mores options and toppings I had.

THE ROASTING + CREATINGNo pit, no problem. Using a mini-BBQ was easy to light, clean and move. I know what I will be doing next time I need some s’mores.Y U M.

THE DRINKSNext to the s’mores bar, I had the drink station. I offered, water, juice and sangria. Instead of using overly sweet Moscato for the wine, I opted for Chardonnay, and added more tart fruit to offset the sweetness of the s’mores goodness. Big hit!
To label each drink cup, I used Tiny Prints return address labels, but left them blank while ordering. They became perfect labels for everyones drink’s and their goodie bags.

THE RECIPES + GOODIE BAGSI thought it would be fun to have everyone write down their s’mores creations. People came up with some amazing ideas. Tiny Prints personalized stationery cards were the perfect size, and come in so many customizable options. I selected these cards, and made some customizations to totally fit the colorful, geometric theme I had. Check back tomorrow to see some of the delicious s’mores recipes we came up with!
Since I knew there would be left overs, everyone got a bag and made some s’mores to go!
Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the mind-glowingly delicious recipes!

6-17-14

5-29-14

I love finding new books to read. Recently, I have been splitting my time between reading books, magazines (and of course blogs). Here are a few I’m currently loving:
1. The Lost Girls: A true story about three girls in their late 20’s who quit their jobs and opt for a year of traveling around the globe. Their adventures, and self-discovery make this book enjoyable and mentally relatable.
2. Creative Confidence: Written by the founder of IDEO and his brother, this book raises the point that we are all creative, we just have to exercise those muscles. Talk about inspiring!
3. Where’d You Go, Bernadette: Based in Seattle, a young girl looks for her mother once she goes missing.
4. June Vogue: Gotta stay up to date!

5-15-14

Recently, I was invited to Art of Tea, an LA based tea company that creates and blends their own custom tea. Their products are organic, fair trade, and sourced directly from the growers. We got a tour of the facility + warehouse, did a tea tasting, and concluded with getting to blend our own teas. As an avid tea drinker myself, it was so interesting to learn all about this awesome company, and the many benefits that tea possesses.
The set upSteve, the founder, and master tea blender, giving us a demonstration on blending custom tea.
How beautiful is this tea!The six teas that we tasted, varying from white, green and oolong.
Steve’s custom blend
My custom tea blend: earl grey, pacific mint, coconut nibs, cornflower. Looks like Seattle in a bowl!
Another blogger’s blend
At the end, we tasted our tea, named it, and bagged the left overs to take home. Because mine was blue + green, with a strong, fresh mint taste, I named my blend Seattle Rain.

Thanks again to Art of Tea for inviting me to participate in this awesome event. Their tea is top notch, unique and oh so flavorful. I’m definitely savoring my special Seattle Rain blend!

5-7-14

One year ago today, I decided to start a blog. I had no idea really what to do, or what to expect, but after meeting Oh Joy! and reading Blog Inc,, I knew blogging was something I wanted to do. I’m SO glad that I did. I have met and made so many new friends, kept my design skills f r e s h and been to places I wouldn’t have otherwise gone to. I’m so excited that my little blog turns one today, and can’t wait to see what good things come in this next year. Here’s a look back at some of my favorite + popular posts from this past year. (Click on the image to go to the post!)Thank you to all who stop by + read my little positive space! I have some exciting things planned over the next few months that I can’t wait to share. Happy Wednesday to all, and thanks for coming on this awesome journey with me!

4-29-14

Hi guys! Super excited to announce that I will be speaking at Alt Summit this SUMMER! Going in January was one of the best experiences, and I am just over the moon excited to be going back in June. Some of the speakers were released yesterday, and boy are there some awesome and talented folks on there! I’ll be sharing more deets as they come, but for now, let me know if you’re going to Alt in June! Can’t wait to see ya there!!

Post Navigation

SUBSCRIBE

RECENT POSTS

SIDE NOTE…

All posts on this blog are designed and/or photographed by me, Jess, for From Rain to Shine, unless otherwise specified (in such cases, I cite the original location, author or post.) If you find an image that has been incorrectly linked, send over an email and all will be fixed :). Similarly, if you use any content from my blog, please link or cite my work.

Final Note: Mean/rude/overly negative comments and any spam will be deleted. Let's all be nice, shall we?